Overview & Collaboration OpportunitiesPaul Westerhoff, PhD, PE, BCEE

Deputy Director - Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)

NEWT

2015 Nanosystems Engineering Research Center for

Nanotechnology-Enabled Water Treatment

Visionof all water systems in the US serve less than 500 people,

79%and account for: percent of all Maximum 

Contaminant Level violations.

84%

Credit: Alfred Eustes, Colorado School of Mines & CU NSF/SRN on AirWaterGas3‐5 million gallons of water needed to develop each well

DRIVERS

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/rhammer/fracking‐2.jpg

Illustrative Nano Grand Challenge #1 – NanoEnabled Desal to Solve Emerging Water Crisis; PCAST, 5thNNI Review (2014

Vision

NEWT VISIONEnable access to treated water almost anywhere in the world, by developing transformative and off-grid modular treatment systems empowered by nanotechnology that protect human lives and support sustainable development.

Focus on Two Applications

• Off-grid rural and humanitarian, emergency-response drinking water treatment systems

• Industrial wastewater reuse in remote sites (e.g., oil and gas fields, offshore platforms)

https://www.globalgiving.co.uk/projects/clean‐water‐for‐peru/updates/

Why Nano?Leap-frogging opportunities to:• Develop small, high-performance multifunctional

materials & systems that are easy to deploy, can tap unconventional water sources, and reduce the cost of remote water treatment

• Transform predominantly chemical treatment processes into modular and more efficient catalytic and physical processes that exploit the solar spectrum and generate less waste

• How can we use novel nano-properties for water purification?

• How can nano-materials be embedded into scaffolding without loosing their functionality?

• What safety concerns exist around nano-enabled water technologies?

Over Arching Science Questions

Plasmonic Resonance –Thermal

Photonic                 ROS & e‐Production

High, Selective & Mutlifunctional 

Sorption

SuperPara‐Magnetic

Electrically Conductive

Molecular Sieves

Uniquely Nano Properties Integrated into Macroscale Systems

SUNContaminated Water

Drinking or Reclaimed Water

INTERFERING SPECIES &

SCALE CONTROL

LOW-ENERGY DESALINATION (Solar membrane distillation, high-flux RO)

PRIORITY CONTAMINANT REMOVAL (Nanosorbents, Nanophotocatalysts, etc.)

Modular Treatment SystemsMatch treated water quality to intended use

• High Performance Modules• Lower Chemical Consumption• Lower Electrical Energy Requirements • Less Waste Residuals• Flexible and Adaptive to Varying Source Waters

OR

SUN

Thrust 1: Multifunctional ENMs- Selectivity- Scalability• Superior nanosorbents with option for magnetic separation• Advanced, selective (photo)catalysts

Thrust 2: Solar-Thermal Processes- Light penetration and heat transfer- Nanoparticle immobilization without loss of efficiency• Low-energy desalination• High-flux, low-pressure RO membranes

Thrust 3: Scaling and Fouling Control- Control of nucleation of scaling elements- Membrane functionalization without adverse effects• Effective pre-treatment to prevent scaling and fouling• Multifunctional membranes

Research Challenges & Opportunities

“Nano-tizing” Thrust 1 Example 1.1 Multifunctional ENM Sorbents

WBAX FeWBAX TiWBAX

Develop methods to incorporate nanosized adsorbent materials into macroscopic structures like fibers, carbon blocks, and ion‐exchange beads

eSpring® POU system by Amway:

example of how nanotechnology will be integrated into macroscale device

Design nanoparticles, nanofibers, and nanosheetsthat selectively adsorb oxoanions

“Off-grid” direct solar utilization1.3 Photocatalytic ENMs

MxOyz-

Reduced

O2

ROS

UVC

Photocatalytic

ENM

1.2. Multifunctional Magnetic ENMs

Arsenate binds to Fe3O4 nanoparticles

Example: Arsenic removal under flow Contaminant specific interaction Magnetic capture

Superparamagnetic ENMs

Can be used to support photocatalytic ENMs, adsorbent ENMs

Low‐field magnet traps nanoparticles

New reactor design, operational approach

Objectives of ERC and Thrust 2:Solar Desalination by Nanophotonics-Enhanced Membrane Distillation and Low-Pressure Reverse Osmosis

SUNContaminated Water

Drinking or Reclaimed Water

INTERFERING SPECIES &

SCALE CONTROL

LOW-ENERGY DESALINATION (Solar membrane distillation, high-flux RO)

PRIORITY CONTAMINANT REMOVAL (Nanosorbents, Nanophotocatalysts, etc.)

OR

SUN

• Solar driven• Low chemical usage• Low maintenance• Low brine volume• Low capital cost

“Surprising” Thrust 2 Example Photonics of Nanoparticles for

Solar-Thermal Applications

Light localization by multiple scattering confines solar energy, enabling high efficiency heat transfe (Hogan et al., Nano Lett. 2014, 14, 4640‐4645)

WATER

Light‐absorbing nanopar cles

Even in an ice bath

80% Efficiency!

Steam produced

immediately

Reactors for Enhancing Membrane Distillation

www.desalination.biz

Can reduce transmembranetemperature gradient by up to 70%

T1PT

T2

Membrane DistillateHot feed

Higher T increased efficiencies!

Photothermal MD

nano

particles

Tp

Commercial Membranes

Estimate of new MMM 

2.3 Mixed Matrix Membranes with Molecular Sieves for Low Pressure RO

LTA zeolite

ZSM‐5 zeolite

ZIF‐71

Microporoussupport

PolymerThin film

Molecular sieve nanoparticles

NPs

Objectives of ERC and Thrust 3:To develop scaling and fouling control methods to ensure stable

and reliable operation of NEWT’s mobile water treatment systems

SUNContaminated Water

Drinking or Reclaimed Water

INTERFERING SPECIES &

SCALE CONTROL

LOW-ENERGY DESALINATION (Solar membrane distillation, high-flux RO)

PRIORITY CONTAMINANT REMOVAL (Nanosorbents, Nanophotocatalysts, etc.)

OR

SUN

• Low chemical usage• Low cost• Wide TDS range• Safe and durable

“Less is more” Thrust 3 ExampleIn-situ Template Assisted Nucleation

Wat

er c

onta

inin

g sc

ale

form

ing

min

eral

s, C

a, M

g, S

i

Template assistednucleation

Nanocrystal formation

Crystals growth in solution, not on surfaces

Crystals exiting system

Fe-oxide nanoparticle

Si adsorption and magnetic separation

Reduced silica –no silica fouling

3.2 Electrosorption for Scaling Control

NaCl adsorption capacity > 1.3 mmole/g

VerticallyAlignedCNTs

CNTs/graphene enhance sorption capacity, kinetics, mechanical

strength and electrical conductivity.

Nanocomposite electrodes to remove multivalent ions from brines, and generate

smaller waste streams

“If you can’t beat them..” Thrust 3 Example Coatings for Fouling/Scaling Control

Superhydrophilic TFC Membrane Biocidal Cu-NP TFC Membrane

Enabling Technologies• Low-energy desalination by

nanophotonic MD or electrosorption• DBP-free disinfection• Advanced (photo)oxidation• Selective nano-sorbents• Multi-functional membranes• Fouling- & corrosion-resistant surfaces

Testbed Platforms

Point‐of‐use Demonstration Site(Partnering with QESST/ERC)

MobileNEWT

NEWTskid

• Instill culture across NEWT team

• Assure NEWT IPAB, SAB and public stakeholders that nano-enabled water systems are safe

• Lead effort to get nano-enabled water devices tested and approved by NSF International

• Understand social implications of nanomaterials in drinking water

Thrust 4 Safety & Sustainability

http://galleryhip.com/boy‐drinking.html

Equipment manufacturers

NEWT is Supported by Experienced Partners Across the Value Chain

End users

Service providers

Research, development and deployment partners

Nanomaterial and advanced material manufacturers

Graduate• Sustainable engineering in multidisciplinary

and multicultural settings for global technology development

Undergraduate• Project-based curriculum across NEWT

institutions• National model for inquiry-based learning

Pre-college education• New professional development course

(100 teachers reaching >15,000 students annually)

• Use NEWT’s compelling research as “hook” to inspire diverse K-12 students to pursue STEM careers

New Education Programs

Diverse Leadership Team

PedroAlvarez

EnvironmentalNanotechnology& Biotechnology

MenyElimelech

MembraneProcesses

JorgeGardea-T

Environ. Chemistry

NaomiHalas

Nano-Photonics

Paul W.

Advanced Treatment

RebeccaRichards-K

Beyond Traditional

Borders

Dino Villagran

Physical & Inorganic Chemistry

Paul Westerhoff

WaterSystems

MikeWong

Nano-Catalysis

BradBurke

ManagingDirector

Mary Laura Lind

Eng. Matter, Transport & Energy

QilinLi

Advanced Treatment

Co-Lead Co-Lead Co-Lead

Carolyn Nichol

K-12 Education

Co-Lead

Testbeds Education InnovationDirector Management Diversity Thrust 1 Thrust 2 Thrust 3

JulieZimmerman

GreenEngineering

Sustainability and safety

QilinLi

Advanced Treatment

Co-Leads Co-Leads

RolandSmith

Sociology

http://www.ngobox.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/water-security.jpg

Operational Vision & Outcomes